Watching Men Dance

by Marcia Cebulska

She is a wanderer; he will not fly. She is a city girl; he prefers a bison ranch. She grew up in her father’s Greek restaurant; he dances at powwows. Ava and Jesse travel life together in a turquoise pickup truck, feasting along the way. They settle, raise children, cheat, gamble, and fight with great gusto. When Ava leaves to travel around Greece like a female Odysseus, their bonds are tested.Watching Men Dance is a feast for the senses, a celebration of cultural diversity, and a compelling read, at once both humorous and moving. Ava, the captivating main character, embodies an engaging zest for life as she struggles between her pull to adventure and her need for home and family. Jesse, the Native dancer she falls in love with, challenges her beliefs and commitments. Watching Men Dance is the story of a simple and complex, lonely and overcrowded, exasperating and fulfilling.

341 pages, Paperback

Published September 9, 2020

About the author

Marcia Cebulska is an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. Although she spent most of her childhood living behind her parents’ Polish bakery in a Chicago working-class neighborhood, she always had a yen for travel and exotic foods. These early interests are evident in her recent novel, Watching Men Dance. Before she turned her hand to fiction, she enjoyed a decades-long career writing for the stage and screen. Her critically acclaimed plays have been performed at thousands of venues worldwide and her screenwriting has aired on PBS. Cebulska has received the Dorothy Silver Award, the Jane Chambers International Award, several Master Artist Fellowships. Thematically, Cebulska’s work has often reflected social justice issues such as women’s rights, gay rights, race relations, domestic violence, and homelessness. The recipient of many commissions, she wrote Now Let Me Fly for the national celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board decision. She has been writer-in-residence at The University of Georgia, Mary Anderson Center for the Arts, Marion College, and The William Inge Center for the Arts. Her non-fiction book Skywriting, a journaling guide, was published in 2019. Her novel Watching Men Dance, about the relationship between a female photographer who loves travel and adventure and a Native American dancer who will not fly, was released in September of 2020. Marcia has lived in Chicago, New York, Santa Cruz, Seattle, Miami, London, Copenhagen, Athens, and on the Greek island of Crete, but now resides in Topeka, Kansas with her husband, historian Tom Prasch. She has one daughter, Inge Hansen,(co-author of The Ethical Sell-out) and one grandson, Judah Hansen.

Reviews

[Georg'ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am about half-way through - captivated by the language, the characters. This is one of those books where I feel like I know these people - that reading the book has been like developing relationships with the characters, so that it feels like stepping into community and friendship. And this book is very much about friendship, community, identity. Coming together and leaving. Stepping through thresholds in life, from attraction to relationship to commitment to parenting. And how to maintain a sense of self throughout those life changes.

It's provided a much-needed escape (and specific to this moment in 2020, as we enter holidays as questions of safety midst the pandemic, it's also bittersweet to read of family celebrations).

Update: I finished and the author did not disappoint - far from it! I loved this book - absolutely and unequivocally. She is such a good writer, with an ear for dialog and evocative descriptions. I recommend having delicious food nearby (even if it's just some olives and bit of yummy feta)- the scenes of family meals and food discoveries while traveling will fill you with longing.

[Christa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A distinctly American story

This epic story is about Ava, a first generation American who is part Greek and part Polish who falls in love with Jesse, a man who is part Native American. Although this story takes place in the 1970s and 80s, the author ties in numerous political and cultural issues in this novel that remain surprisingly relevant today. In many ways this was a distinctly American story with second generation American characters intertwined with Native American culture. I liked the complexity of the characters and the complicated odyssey of the love story. As a resident of Kansas, it was fun to read a book with recognizable landscapes and towns. Hello Lawrence! I enjoyed learning about Haskell U. and about Native American culture. Had no idea about this school's history. I've never read a book quite like this one. It was refreshing to read a story that takes place mostly in the Midwest yet offers a global adventure with a fascinating and diverse cast of characters.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always hesitant to read/"review" works by friends of mine. What happens if I don't like it, what am I to do?
I should have known better than to worry about that with Marcia's novel. I have read and seen her plays for 25 years now (her husband and I have been friends for nearly 50 years!), and I have always enjoyed, and been impressed with, her work.
While the novel is somewhat loosely based upon her own many life experiences, I would not call it "autobiographical". The use of fiction, and additional research, makes it more than that.
The variety of settings (I enjoyed how she continualy shifted when and where we are, but without confusing the reader) and characters engages, and entertains, us.
Marcia, thanks for sharing this with us. And for having written it. And I am glad that I (sheepishly admitting) finally read it! I hope we can look forward to more in the future.

[Laurey Steinke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a real page-turner for me. From the first page I cared about Ava, the main character. The immediacy of the first person narrative drew me in, and the detailed nature of the descriptions transported me into the scenes over and over again. This is a coming-of-age story of a woman and of a marriage--how do you make a marriage work between two strong people? How do you follow your dreams and still support a partner--can this work?

We follow Ava through the prime of her life and on her travels: Chicago, California, Kansas, Greece, and meet the people important to her. As other reviewers have noted, Cebulska's history as a writer for theater shows in the reliance on dialogue to move the plot--while others found this choppy, to me it brought the characters alive. I left the book feeling as if I had gotten to know a person deeply, and had learned about myself in the process. Be careful when you pick this book up; you may not be able to put it down!

[Susan Kraus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rich, deep dive into what makes a marriage-- and what makes a person who she/he is. Culture? Ethnicity? Diversity? Parenting? Who do some of us crave adventure while others yearn for stability? And what happens when we want and need it all? A novel that will take you away, and then bring you home. I want a sequel.

[Bonnie Nicholas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Journey with Ava and Jesse from a native dance in the Pacific Northwest, to Chicago, to be welcomed by Ava’s Greek and Polish relatives, to Kansas, where they settle among Jesse’s Native American tribe, caring for Jesse’s aging Ukranian father, along with house, land, a growing family, and pet bison. When Ava must follow her longing for an adventure in Greece, they hold onto their relationship in a tense suspension, as they continue to navigate culture, identity, hope, loss, dreams, fears and joy. Of course, if you know the author, there is good food all along the way. Marcia has served up a delicious and satisfying love story in her debut novel, Watching Men Dance.